Naruto Namikaze
by BrizzVicious
Summary: a different name a different life
1. the prologue

The coup d'eta planned by the Uchiha family had been silenced only sacrificing the innocence of one teenage boy. That seemed like too high of a price to pay, too much ask of a sixteen year old, no matter how skilled of an assailant they were. Not willing to pay this toll down a road of peace Lord Sarutobi, the Hokage, refused to allow Itachi Uchiha to tear down every branch of his noble family's tree.

Sadly he was out voted by both elders and most vehemently by his old rival Danzou. Out numbered three to one the immense power of the Hokage was rendered irrelevant, and from that moment on he remained a figure head. Danzou had cut his political feet from beneath him, but the people still followed Sarutobi with the faith of a child. He couldn't be completely dethroned as long as the entire Konoha was under his discipleship.

Maybe that's what this was all about, discrediting him, maybe this was why masked ninja had came quiet as death into his manor with only one intention, kill the child Naruto Namikaze. If Danzou could make it appear that his rival couldn't even protect one child that he wasn't worthy to protect an entire village. Naruto was the perfect candidate; the people already hated the brat, though he was their hero, The Fourth's only child, he was a bijuu containing the demon fox that had slaughtered so many. The only thing keeping the villagers from storming Hokage Manor themselves was their love of the Third Hokage, he had promised to keep them safe from the boy's immeasurable power and to keep the boy safe from them. Their mistrust of the child turned to a jealous hatred, because Sarutobi would dote on the boy. He raised the boy as if he were his own, often training him himself, and assigning sharingan Kakashi as his personal trainer. So if Danzou could have his agents kill Naruto, under the guise of foreign shinobi, it would show an apparent weakness in the current Hokage, thus lifting the trust and love the village had for Sarutobi.

Luckily Sarutobi was more of a warrior than a bureaucrat. He had sensed tension rising between him and some of his own ninja; they felt like they were hiding something. So Sarutobi called Jiraiya who had acted as a surrogate uncle all eight years since the Fourth's demise. Naruto absolutely loved Jiraiya the stories of his grand adventures and of Naruto's parents' bravery and romance. Jiraiya bonded with Naruto the same way he had with the blonde haired eight year old's father. So there was no fear in the little boy's eyes when uncle Jiraiya scooped him up into his arms and fled the mansion as Kakashi and The Third held off masses of masked ninja.

"Uncle perv what's going on?" Naruto asked fear wrapping itself like a serpent around itself around his words.

"It's time for us to go on a trip okay do you remember that jutsu grandpa Sarutobi taught you?" Jiraiya said trying to comfort him. He could feel a shinobi pursuing as quickly as he could flee.

"The shadow clone jutsu? Yep I remember."

"Okay, make fifteen can you Naruto?" Jiraiya spoke calmly as if nothing were wrong. His soothing tone was negated when Naruto caught a glimpse of the ninja following them. He had removed his mask. Naruto hesitated as he became transfixed on the pair of red eyes. "Naruto now!" Jiraiya roared Naruto quickly formed the hand signs that grandpa and Kakashi taught him. Jiraiya did the same producing fifteen copies of the pair splitting up and scattering among the forest. The pursuing ninja's eyes glowed not at all fooled by the jutsu, but falling back to disclose this truth.

Moments when Jiraiya felt they had enough of a lead, they found themselves under a large tree. Scaring Naruto, Jiraiya produce a kunai and cut his hand and signed his name in blood on a large contract scroll. "Okay Naruto where going to Myobokuzan Mountain from my stories, we'll be safe there." Jiraiya said again trying to comfort Naruto. In that same moment Naruto saw the menacing pair of red eyes appear behind them, their shape resembling kaleidoscopes. Naruto froze as the boy's pale face gleamed in the reflection of the moonlight in his six drawn kunai. Jiraiya must have felt the raven haired shinobi's gaze, because he hugged Naruto tighter than he ever had before and in an instant the two were atop a mountain bath in sunlight.

Giant toads surround the youngster; his eyes widened in amazement. The amphibians, the vegetation, the waterfalls Naruto was in awe; he shook Jiraiya who must have been exhausted from all the excitement. "Uncle perv we're here, this place is awesome." Naruto said with a giggle in his voice.

A said croak came from the multitude of toads and a low rumble of "get ma and pa they'll want to be here for this." Naruto looked at all the sad faces then to Jiraiya and felt his eyes burn and his stomach rise. There lay, his uncle, lifeless, with six kunai in his back. Naruto howled and he could feel something coming over him, it was a grotesque hate manifesting itself in the form of chakra. He could feel the nine tails pouring out of him, but then there was a tiny comforting had that repressed it with a bit of its own chakra. Naruto looked upon Jiraiya and for the second time since he was born he felt completely alone.

Authors Note: Hi NovaKane hear just want to thankyou for reading, so thanks. As always reviews are more than welcome but I also have a forum where I would like to talk about things that I can improve in my writing. Thanks in advance for all criticism and yes future flamers that includes you. :P


	2. Chapter 1

Secluded in the expanse of the Sand Village's desert there is an underground bunker. Here enemies of the hidden village hid in between battles during the last Great War. Enemy shinobi have long since vacated this man made cave. Replacing the original occupiers are herds of drunken fans, gamblers, horny groupies, and bloodied combatants. All three groups pulled from every walk of life. Old retired ninja looking to earn a bit of coin competing in bare knuckle fights, young ninja and kunoichi with anger issues, and tough as nails young men who fancied themselves invincible composed the fighters. Groupies were divided into three types women, teenage girls who thought their towns' boys were a bit to tame, worried old dames who left their children at home so they could watch their old stud get bloodied in pursuit of the glory of his youth in the cage, and of course the damsels in distress looking for a strong body to protect them from the organized crime bosses and crazed ex-boyfriends. The club wouldn't have been complete without down on their luck gamblers hoping tonight that lady luck would give them a kiss, and feral bloodthirsty fans of carnage looking for just that carnage.

Douse this melding pot of aggression, greed, fear, and lust with alcohol and you have the perfect asylum for chaos. Law was made by anyone with the power to enforce their own brand of justice, but one unspoken rule stood as absolute among the runaways and derelicts, and that one sacred rule was no one harms the bartender. Every other aspect of human decency was left up to personal discretion. Free for all would be one way to explain the manic atmosphere, but it would be a gross understatement. The howl of drunken barroom brawls escalating into knife fights filled the aisles. Men's breathless and ravenous grunts harmonized with their women's barbaric melody of vicious moans and cries of ecstasy. This orchestra of filth tainted the room in the same way that vomit had stained the concrete walls. Only thing muffling these sounds of perversion was the all consuming roar of the crowd surrounding a steel cage containing the two combatants. Dank, disgusting, and disturbing this subterranean mosh pit of deviance deserved its name Satan's Asshole. Sex, booze, violence and at its core was the cage, the epicenter of all this anarchy, and in the center of that stood the peoples' enigmatic hero, Naruto Namikaze.

In the last month since he arrived he had made a lot of people rich and left even more battered. Since he had drifted into there den weeks ago, and splattered the blood of the reigning champ every where, he had become as good as any king in their eyes. They loved him even though he kept them all at a distance never drinking their alcohol or sharing a joke with the old men at the bar, his subjects only knew him to indulge in one thing, women. So every night the crowd would watch and cheer as their bloody golden haired god would reach down and pluck a teenage girl or two from the crowd and descend to an even lower level of the bunker, to his quarters. The sight was similar to the cliché image of tribal peoples sacrificing a virgin to a volcano. The main variation from actual tribal people being that no one was sure of the teenage girl was a virgin they didn't care either for that matter.

Tonight was no different for that matter there was a new challenger to the throne and bets would be placed. The crowd clutched their wallets and handbags tightly and prayed their king would bring them another payday. "Cut him Naruto!" "Bash in his skull Namikaze daimyo." The crowd was full of devote fight fans all banking on victory, but bets can't be made unless someone bets against the favorite, with this in mind one man hollered "c'mon Tsuneo he not that tough". He was promptly stabbed.

"C'mon hit me where are y'balls?" Naruto coaxed his opponent who was larger in stature and in girth. The man swung with surprising skill, but to no avail Naruto dodged easily. "C'mon sweetheart right here, try and impress me." He placed his middle and index fingers on his cheek indicating where he wanted Tsuneo to hit him. As Naruto taunted his opponent was more than obliged and hit his mark perfectly, landing a powerful punch to Naruto's face.

Not waiting giving the champ a chance to retaliated Tsuneo went to work. His glare became vicious. Naruto's head turned with the force of the hook and before he could adjust an uppercut detonated on his stomach. He coughed a bit and the thought _shit I just gave a jounin level fighter an opening_ crept through his mind. Naruto had let his own pride get the better of him, and the challenger had no intention of giving the champ a chance to remedy this error.

A quick kick to the stomach followed a fury of punches to the face. Naruto spit out a blood. The kick put a bend his posture and Tsuneo once again to the opportunity to inflict more pain. He quickly hoisted the blond up by his midsection, jumped in the air, and slammed him on his head.

Backers of the under dog went wild they could feel their wallets fattening as they watched the reigning king of the ring plummet to the ground. Tsuneo, his work complete, raised his arms in celebration and screamed his own praises along with more than a few obscenities about his defeated foe. Old gamblers and Naruto's past teenage trophies looked upon their hero and resisted mourning.

Suddenly his eyes opened and smile slithered across his face and before a tear could fall from a single eye, he rose. Their hero rose and was on his feet as cocky as he was at the match's commencement. He wound his heavily tattooed right arm and cracked his neck then beckoned his opponent. "Hey I thought I said impress me?"

"What, that should have finished you, this is sick I'm outta here." Tsuneo choked on his words knowing that his last move was intended to be a death stroke.

"Y'can't leave till the job his done." Naruto said his smile vanishing and his tone turning serious. Tsuneo didn't wait fro further invitation and punched swiftly only to have his fist caught in Naruto's hand. "G'night" Naruto said calmly as he cocked his head back before delivering a deadly head butt. The resulting crack left the crowd on their feet in applause and the challenger on his knees in agony.

In accordance to tradition Naruto left the arena with his lady of choice. The girl strayed from tradition once she arrived in Naruto's quarters beneath the cage. "No Naruto sama I'm not here to have sex with you for the fifth time." She insisted removing Naruto's hand from her thigh.

"Wait, then what are you here for? Because that's usual how this goes love?" Naruto looked puzzled.

"You have done work as a bounty hunter correct."

"Yeah I have done quite a bit, why?" Naruto answered honestly. Before he had found his underground kingdom he had been meandering about the shinobi world taking jobs hunting down other missing nin.

Since the Sand and Sound villages attacked Konoha other villages had been affected for the worse. Even though Konoha was able to defeat their adversaries they lost many in the battle most notably, the man who had raised Naruto for eight years, the Hokage. Naruto mourned the loss of a father figure when he heard about the Third's demise, and was infuriated when he heard that his fellow jinchuuriki Gaara had been used as a weapon in the battle. The two had met once when they were children. The loss of so many ninja and their Hokage left Konoha weakened economically and this trickled down to the other less powerful allied hidden villages. These villages were forced to use Naruto to hunt down missing shinobi when they couldn't spare any of their own for the effort.

"The Kazekage has requested that you find and bring back the Suna shinobi known as Gaara of the Sand dead or alive." Naruto sat there shocked hearing her answer his head fell into his hands as he remembered the day that he met Gaara.


	3. Chapter 2

"Now what did you say your name was again?" Naruto asked the young kunoichi while he slid his shirt off of his shoulders and tossed it aside."

"Rei, and is it necessary for you to disrobe now Naruto sama?" She answered covering her eyes as the older blonde's pants landed on top of his shirt. Her face turned bright red when she peeked in between her fingers sporadically catching a glimpse of Naruto in his boxers. Her eyes became caught on an intricate tattoo starting at his collarbone and ending at his forearm. The teen couldn't help but feel unprofessional as her hormones took control of her thoughts.

Before Rei could retract her earlier refusal of Naruto's advances he spoke. "Okay then Rei; take a seat so I can tell you a story." He pointed to a raggedy wooden chair in one corner of the room. She dragged it close to the cot that Naruto sat on. She had given up on covering her eyes but her face still had a slight red tint to it.

"It was along time ago before the Sand attacked the Leaf a little over a decade ago." Naruto started. His voice was calm, smooth, and rough all at the same time. Naruto leaned in close to her and as he spoke that day, the day he met Gaara of the Desert settled in the room like a transient fog

Naruto was seven years old and the Third Hokage was as irksome as ever. "Stop frowning Naruto, or your face will get stuck that way." He chuckled ruffling the little blonde's hair. Naruto had learned to be a little hesitant when it came to meeting new people. He was only six years old but each of those years had been rough. All the other kids in the village either treated him like monster or ignored him completely. Attempts at letting him assimilate with the other villagers without being accompanied by guards, had ended in the child coming back battered. So in result he spent most of his time cooped up in Hokage Manor with Sarutobi.

Today was supposed to be different; the Suna's Kazekage had a child bijuu about Naruto's age so the Hokage had suggested that the two met. The Kazekage, cold as he is, had refused at first saying that a play-date would turn his boy soft. Sarutobi was use to these arguments, even though they were allies the two argued more than they agreed. It took some doing but he was eventually able to schedule the meeting. Even though getting them to a secure environment was a hassle, the two agreed that watching them interact made all the effort worth it.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze Konoha's number one ninja and future Hokage! What's your name?" Naruto boomed looking at the boy across from him. He was smiling an important interpersonal skill according to Kakashi. Naruto never understood how his silver haired trainer would know, seeing as how he always wore that dumb mask. Naruto was disappointed when the red head didn't smile back. Instead the boy stood there his eyes crawling over every part of the vacant playground. Naruto thought him strange, his facial expression was sad and half panicked. He had dark circles around his blood shot eyes and he kept shoulders raised and his hands clenched into fist as if he were expecting to be attacked.

Naruto looked sympathetically at the red head for moments and his patience was rewarded and the boy finally broke his silence. "Errm… I'm called Gaara." He said his voice sounding like it had been mugged on its way out of his mouth. Gaara's eyes stopped watching the perimeter of the playground and focused on the blond boy who was sporting a goofy smile and an outstretched hand. Gaara only considered reaching out for it for a split second before deciding that it wasn't a good idea and simply nodded instead. He didn't want to risk letting the other boy who looked hardier than himself grab a hold of him.

"What did they tell you about me?" Naruto facial expression went from a pleasant smile to an irritated scowl. He began to feel suspicious of the boy's hesitance.

"Huh" Gaara replied taken off guard, he could feel the earth beneath him shift in response to his nervousness.

"So what did they tell you, I'm some big scary monster and that I'll gobble you up?"

"No… I'm the only monster here." Gaara said still wary of the sudden shift in his new acquaintance's mood.

"Well if…hey what do you mean?" Naruto felt all the gruffness was replaced by a breathless surprise.

Sand began to rise around the child's outstretched hands. "They also call me Gaara of the desert that is when they aren't running from me. I'm the host of Shukaku a beast that killed Yashimaru. I'm tainted." He said his eyes avoiding Naruto's

Naruto felt his heart sink as he looked at the boy, mesmerized by the grains of sand weaving between his fingers. He thought about what the Kyuubi had taken from him and knew at once that he and this red head were kindred. His voice sad yet excited to no longer be alone spoke up. "I understand I'm an orphan because of the monster in me." Gaara's eyes met with his as he continued "So I guess we're the same huh, like brothers?"

Gaara's eyes lit up with an excitement that eclipsed the restless bags under his eyes as he smiled which warranted a surprise from the Kazekage watching from afar. "Yeah the monster brothers." He giggled more happy to be apart of something than sad for once.

"Yep brothers, but I'm not going to be just a monster forever I'm going to become Hokage so the whole village will have to respect me, believe it!"

"I'll do the same in the Suna, and then we can both be respected." Gaara added softly.

"We spit on our palms, shook on the deal, and never saw each other again." The nineteen year old Naruto said to Rei who was looking at him sympathetically. "I always wondered whatever happened to my monster brother, I guess now is as good as any time to find out." He ignored her weepy eyes and began to head towards the door.

"Wait Naruto sama, after all those years do you still want be Hokage?"

The words believe it and a raised right thumb were the only answer she received as he disappeared from the dank desert den in search of Gaara.

Meanwhile back in the Konohagakure apartment of Sasuke Uchiha all was quiet until a terrified yell stirred the sleeping kunoichi next to him. "Sasuke what's wrong?" a worried Sakura said shaking his shoulder to wake him.

"Nothing" he scolded her brushing her hand away and rotating himself so that his back was back to her and he became seated over the edge. It was just a dream, a dream that had been haunting him for almost a decade. A nightmare, of the night his family was slaughtered and he was spared all at the hands of his older brother Itachi. That night kept flooding every nook of his resting mind he remembered fearing for his life, he remembered the sight of each of his relatives' lifeless bodies, and above all else he remembered the blood. The gruesome color nothing like in the pages of magazines or like in the movies, it was dark, sticky, and it caused everything it touched to smell like iron and fear. Even tonight sitting on the edge of his bed he could see Itachi's red sharingan eyes staring at him. He still felt trapped in that house staring at his battered mother's body and Itachi tells him from behind his mangekyou to finish her.

"She is corrupt Sasuke as are all of them. Take my blade and kill her for the sake of the village, and for the strength of our clan." His voice was reverberating off of the walls of the bloody silent room and echoing in the mind of the young Uchiha. Lastly he remembered the dying look of malice and sympathy twisted in his mother's face as he plunged his brother's sword into her. As he relived this night his eyes began to burn with tears just as they did back then. His tear ducts on fire he heard the cooling voice of Sakura reminding him that they were scheduled for a briefing with the Hokage in one hour.

Sasuke was quick to dress while Sakura went home to her own apartment to do the same. He hoped that this latest mission would clear his mind from his dark thoughts. He was a one of the better hunter nin so the Hokage gave him the better missions. The Sixth Hokage was revered across the shinobi world for his strength and respected if not feared in his own land. His love for the Konoha was unquestionable and his commitment and loyalty to the nation was infallible. He had replaced the now deceased Danzou, who had filled the vacant position after Orochimaru killed The Third, after he died seemingly peacefully in his sleep. He was quickly chosen to be The Sixth Hokage over his contemporary and fellow candidate Kakashi Hatake. His deep involvement and close relationship with Sarutobi's reign as Hokage cost Kakashi the position.

Who would want the former sensei of a monster and the disciple of a weak leader as Hokage, when they could have the man who sacrificed everything for his love of the village, the man had single handedly wiped out all but one of his blood relatives to save Konoha, the man who love of peace in the village outweighed his familial ties? So by his morbid resume alone Itachi Uchiha was deemed the most worthy to rise into Konohagakure's highest seat of power, Hokage.

So an hour passed and Sasuke's team stood before this man who held out two photographs on his desk. The picture to the left was out of focus but a blond teen somewhere between eighteen and twenty years old could be discerned. The picture on the right was of a man in his late twenties to early thirties he was instantly recognized by all who viewed his picture. It was Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage the only man seen as more valiant than Itachi. Sasuke's team eyed the pictures for a moment each wondering what this teen had to do with The Fourth. "Your target is a missing nin, who has been on the run from this village for ten years." The male members of Sasuke's team, himself and Rock Lee, remained silent while the team's sole female member let out a slight gasp. "His appearance has been described as a mix of this blurred photograph, and a slightly younger version of our Fourth. Please bring him in, preferably dead."

"How could someone have evaded us for so long?" Sasuke spoke up his eyes still demonizing Itachi as they did in his dreams.

"It was an oversight by the last Hokage, who ignored reports of his existence and instead believed him dead. I have decided to remedy that mistake." He said his cold eyes meeting Sasuke's. "He answers still answers to Naruto I believe and was seen last outside of the Sand village.

The group began to leave but before shutting the door Rock Lee summoned the bravery to ask a question of his own. "Sir is he…"

"Yes, he is The Fourth's son, but that doesn't change your mission. Understood?"

"Yes, yes Hokage sama" Lee answered and vanished with the rest of his team.

Moments later as the group met for a pre-mission meal. Still in shock Lee began to question Sasuke. "Can you believe your brother wants us to kill the Fourth's son, I know he is vile a monster and a rogue shinobi but kill him? He hasn't been a threat in ten years; I just can't believe it can you?"

Sasuke looked up from his plate and right at Lee and said "Yeah…yeah I can believe it Lee."


End file.
